Mechanical security system, control device, remote annunciator, control method and control program, computer-readable recording medium recording control program

ABSTRACT

A security system includes: an outing motion detection sensor for detecting actions of a non-monitored person when leaving the monitored area; and human body sensors for detecting the non-monitored person in the monitored area, and a home controller includes: a mode switching section for switching between an alert mode and a non-alert mode; a storage section for storing sensor state accumulative data that indicates initial states of the human body sensors in the alert mode; a human body sensor confirming section for detecting a matching between detection states of the human body sensors and the sensor state accumulative data; and a mode switching reminder section for causing a remote alarm device located at a remote place to present mode change reminder information, when the outing motion detection sensor detects that the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, the detection states of the human body sensors are matched with the sensor state accumulative data, and the non-alert mode has been set. With this arrangement, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of absence of security measures caused by a human error.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a security system, and particularlyrelates to a security system which prevents the occurrence of absence ofsecurity measures caused by a human error, a control device, a remotealarm device, a control method, and a control program, which are for theaforesaid security system, and a computer-readable storage mediumstoring the control program.

BACKGROUND ART

Along with rising crime, security systems in which security measures areautomated by providing security sensors and the like in houses andbuildings have become widely used. Wide variety of security systems havealready been in practical use, e.g. ranging from a large-scale system inwhich a security center receives a security alert from a sensor via acomputer network upon the detection of an intruder and the like by thesensor, so that a security guard is sent to the scene, to a simplesystem in which information detected by a sensor is sent to a mobileterminal such as a mobile phone of the user. Also, sensors that detectthe existence of a human body, the breakdown of glass, fire, and gasleakage have been in practical use, thanks to sensing media that detectlight, sound (including supersonic wave and acoustic pressure), electricwaves (especially microwave), images, and others.

Prior art documents related to the present invention are the followingPatent Documents 1-3.

Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.8-16963/1996; published on Jan. 19, 1996) discloses an alarm devicewhich prevents the user from making an operation mistake and prevents asecurity alert from being mistakenly dispatched. More specifically, thisalarm device is arranged such that a plurality of intrusion sensors areprovided in a monitored area and an alert is automatically sent to aremote security center if an intrusion to the monitored area or an actof vandalism in the monitored area is detected by one of the intrusionsensors, and the alarm device includes: a controller provided in themonitored area; a mode setting device provided outside the monitoredarea; timer means that starts clocking in response to the operation ofthe controller, and stops the clocking after a predetermined period oftime elapses; and control means. The control means sets the controllerto an alert mode if the mode setting device is operated during theclocking of the timer means. If the mode setting device is operatedafter the clocking finishes, the control device does not set anysecurity modes.

According to a portable remote moving picture transmission system ofPatent Document 2 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.2001-333216; published on Nov. 30, 2001), a photograph of an intruder isautomatically sent to a next-generation mobile phone, rather than analert is sent to a security company, so that the user can swiftlyidentify the intruder and contact the police, and as a result thepayment to the security company can be reduced. More specifically,according to this portable remote moving picture transmission system,when an alert state is set by a key switch, the illegal intruder issensed by a miniaturized human sensing light and a connected automaticreporting device is started. The automatic reporting device continuouslystarts connecting plural reporting destinations predetermined to thenext generation portable telephone. By setting the next generationportable telephone of a party to automatic incoming call, when there isa report, an image automatically appears. Thus, the person concerned,who receives the image, can instantaneously judge conditions from theimage and can report the movement of the illegal intruder or features ofthe face to the police as they are. When an erroneous report can bejudged from the image such as when a member of company enters the roomwhile forgetting the cancel of the key switch, for example, such a statecan be judged by the image so that the report to the police is notrequired.

Patent Document 3 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.2001-288939; published on Oct. 19, 2001) discloses a lockingconfirmation supporting apparatus which alleviates a fear of the userregarding locking, and is easy to use, inexpensive, and highlyversatile. More specifically, the locking confirmation supportingapparatus is comprised of a key holder section for holding a key, and anelectronic clock section consisting of a timer circuit, a CPU, a ROM, aRAM, and a display. Then, a locking confirmation signal is generated,and a current time point of locking is stored as a confirmation timepoint into the RAM of the electronic clock section, based on the lockingconfirmation signal, and a notice is sent to a liquid crystal display.The locking confirmation signal is generated by a key taking/ejectingmeans inclusive of a key taking/ejection-detecting switch provided inthe key holder section, locking sound detecting means inclusive of alocking sound sensor such as a microphone, a manual input switch, etc.After locking, by operating a reconfirmation switch, the confirmationtime point stored in the RAM is displayed again on the liquid crystaldisplay.

However, in spite of remarkable development of devices and systems,human errors made by the users of buildings and houses invalidate suchdevices and systems and bring about absence of security measures,thereby causing a lot of troubles.

A representative example of the human errors is such that the userforgets to set an “alert mode”. That is, security systems are typicallyarranged in such a manner that the user sets the security mode whenhe/she leaves home and wishes to let the house be watched, and releasesthe security mode upon the return to the house. In this case, thesecurity system does not turn on if the user forgets to set the securitymode or does not set the mode for some reason, so that the securitymeasures do not operate.

There have been no proposals to provide measurements for spotting suchhuman errors, because it has been difficult to accurately spot theerrors with low costs.

As described above, conventional security systems cannot, for instance,gives advise, alarm, or the like to set the security mode to the user,in order to prevent a human error by the user of buildings, houses, andthe like. In other words, the conventional systems cannot cover forhuman errors without imposing a burden on the user.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a security system whichprevents the occurrence of absence of security measures caused by ahuman error and can significantly improve the level of security, acontrol device, a remote alarm device, and a control method which arefor the aforesaid security system. Also, an object of the presentinvention includes to provide a control program which realizes theaforesaid security system, and a computer-readable storage mediumstoring the control program.

In order to achieve the above object, a security system of the presentinvention is arranged so as to include: a control device for performinga predetermined coping action when an abnormality is detected in amonitored area; an outing motion detection sensor for detecting actionsof a non-monitored person when leaving the monitored area; and anon-monitored person detecting sensor for detecting the non-monitoredperson in the monitored area, the control device including: a modeswitching section (mode switching means) for switching between an alertmode with which the coping action is performed if the abnormality isdetected in the monitored area and a non-alert mode with which thecoping action is not performed; and a mode switching reminder section(mode switching reminder means) for causing a remote alarm devicelocated at a remote place to present mode change reminder information,when the outing motion detection sensor detects that the non-monitoredperson has left the monitored area, the non-monitored person detectingsensor does not detect any other non-monitored person, and the non-alertmode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat a non-monitored person has left the area, the non-monitored persondetecting sensor does not detect the presence of any other user, and thenon-alert mode has been set, it is possible to advise the user of thesecurity service to switch to the alert mode by causing the remote alarmdevice to present the mode change reminder information. With this, theoccurrence of the absence of security measures caused by a human errorcan be prevented, and this brings about the effect that the level ofsecurity can be significantly improved.

Further, a security system of the present invention is arranged so as toinclude: a control device for performing a predetermined coping actionwhen an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; an outing motiondetection sensor for detecting actions of a non-monitored person whenleaving the monitored area; and a plurality of non-monitored persondetecting sensors for detecting the non-monitored person in themonitored area, the control device including: a mode switching section(mode switching means) for switching between an alert mode with whichthe coping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed; a storage section for storing initial state data thatindicates initial states of the non-monitored person detecting sensorsin the alert mode; an initial state detection section (human body sensorconfirming section, initial state detection means) for detecting amatching between detection states of the non-monitored person detectingsensors and the initial state data; and a mode switching remindersection (mode switching reminder means) for causing a remote alarmdevice located at a remote place to present mode change reminderinformation, when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, the detection statesof the non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with theinitial state data, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the area, the detection states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with the initialstate data, and the non-alert mode has been set, it is possible toadvise the user of the security service to switch to the alert mode bycausing the remote alarm device to present the mode change reminderinformation. With this, the occurrence of the absence of securitymeasures caused by a human error can be prevented, and this brings aboutthe effect that the level of security can be significantly improved.

Still further, a security system of the present invention is arranged soas to include: a control device for performing a predetermined copingaction when an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; and anouting motion detection sensor for detecting actions of a non-monitoredperson when leaving the monitored area, the control device including: amode switching section (mode switching means) for switching between analert mode with which the coping action is performed if the abnormalityis detected in the monitored area and a non-alert mode with which thecoping action is not performed; and a mode switching reminder section(mode switching reminder means) for causing a remote alarm devicelocated at a remote place to present mode change reminder information,when the outing motion detection sensor detects that the non-monitoredperson has left the monitored area, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the area, and the non-alert modehas been set, it is possible to advise the user of the security serviceto switch to the alert mode by causing the remote alarm device topresent the mode change reminder information. With this, the occurrenceof the absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and this brings about the effect that the level of securitycan be significantly improved.

Yet further, a security system of the present invention is arranged suchthat the outing motion detection sensor is provided so as to detectactions of the non-monitored person who passes an exit (for example,front door) of the monitored area from the inside of the monitored areato the outside.

Therefore, further, this brings about the effect that it is possible toreliably detect that the non-monitored person has left the monitoredarea.

Further, a security system of the present invention is arranged so as toinclude: a control device for performing a predetermined coping actionwhen an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; and a non-monitoredperson detecting sensor for detecting the non-monitored person in themonitored area, the control device including: a mode switching section(mode switching means) for switching between an alert mode with whichthe coping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed; and a mode switching reminder section (mode switchingreminder means) for causing a remote alarm device located at a remoteplace to present mode change reminder information, when thenon-monitored person detecting sensor detects no non-monitored person,and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the non-monitored person detecting sensordetects no non-monitored person, and the non-alert mode has been set, itis possible to advise the user of the security service to switch to thealert mode by causing the remote alarm device to present the mode changereminder information. With this, the occurrence of the absence ofsecurity measures caused by a human error can be prevented, and thisbrings about the effect of the level of security can be significantlyimproved.

Still further, a security system of the present invention is arranged soas to include: a control device for performing a predetermined copingaction when an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; and aplurality of non-monitored person detecting sensors for detecting thenon-monitored person in the monitored area, the control deviceincluding: a mode switching section (mode switching means) for switchingbetween an alert mode with which the coping action is performed if theabnormality is detected in the monitored area and a non-alert mode withwhich the coping action is not performed; a storage section for storinginitial state data that indicates initial states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors in the alert mode; and an initial statedetection section (human body sensor confirming section, initial statedetection means) for detecting a matching between detection states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors and the initial state data;and a mode switching reminder section (mode switching reminder means)for causing a remote alarm device located at a remote place to presentmode change reminder information, when the detection states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with the initialstate data, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the detection states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, andthe non-alert mode has been set, it is possible to advise the user ofthe security service to switch to the alert mode by causing the remotealarm device to present the mode change reminder information. With this,the occurrence of the absence of security measures caused by a humanerror can be prevented, and this brings about the effect that the levelof security can be significantly improved.

Yet further, a security system of the present invention is arranged suchthat the control device further includes a sensor state accumulatingsection (initial state data accumulative storing means) for, whenswitching to the alert mode is carried out in accordance with aninstruction from a user, storing, in the storage section, the initialstate data in which the detection states of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors at the time of the switching to the alert mode orafter a predetermined period has elapsed from the switching to the alertmode are associated with the accumulative frequencies of the detectionstates, and the initial state detection means (human body sensorconfirming section, initial state detection means) compares a pattern ofthe detection states of the non-monitored person detecting sensors withhighest accumulative frequency patterns, the number of which ispredetermined, in the initial state data stored in the storage section,so as to detect a matching therebetween.

Therefore, the accumulative frequencies of the patterns of the detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors when the usersurely sets the alert mode are obtained, and as a result of judgmentfrom the obtained accumulative frequencies, it is possible to certainlyrecognize whether or not the alert mode has been set from the detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors.

With this, the initial states of the non-monitored person detectingsensors, not limited to the initial states in which the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors are all OFF, can be flexibly detected. Thisbrings about the effect that it is possible to increase the reliabilityof the decision of whether or not the mode change reminder informationshould be sent in order to advice the user to switch to the alert mode.

Further, the security system of the present invention is arranged suchthat the remote alarm device includes a switching instruction inputsection (remote-switching instruction input means) for the userinputting a mode switching instruction to the alert mode, and the modeswitching section (mode switching means) of the control device switchesto the alert mode in accordance with the mode switching instructionreceived from the remote alarm device.

This further, brings about the effect that even if the user leaves homewithout switching to the alert mode, the user away from home can carryout switching to the alert mode in response to the presentation of modechange reminder information through the remote alarm device.

Still further, the security system of the present invention includes: acontrol device for performing a predetermined coping action when anabnormality is detected in a monitored area; an outing motion detectionsensor for detecting actions of a non-monitored person when leaving themonitored area; and a non-monitored person detecting sensor fordetecting the non-monitored person in the monitored area, the controldevice includes: a mode switching section (mode switching means) forswitching between an alert mode with which the coping action isperformed if the abnormality is detected in the monitored area and anon-alert mode with which the coping action is not performed, the modeswitching means automatically switching to the alert mode when theouting motion detection sensor detects that the non-monitored person hasleft the monitored area, the non-monitored person detecting sensor doesnot detect any other non-monitored person, and the non-alert mode hasbeen set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, thenon-monitored person detecting sensor does not detect any other user,and the non-alert mode has been set, the security system canautomatically switch to the alert mode without the instruction to switchto the alert mode from the user of the security service. With this, theoccurrence of the absence of security measures caused by a human errorcan be prevented, and this brings about the effect that the level ofsecurity can be significantly improved.

Yet further, a security system of the present invention includes: acontrol device for performing a predetermined coping action when anabnormality is detected in a monitored area; and an outing motiondetection sensor for detecting actions of a non-monitored person whenleaving the monitored area; the control device including: a modeswitching section (mode switching means) for switching between an alertmode with which the coping action is performed if the abnormality isdetected in the monitored area and a non-alert mode with which thecoping action is not performed, the mode switching means automaticallyswitching to the alert mode when the outing motion detection sensordetects that the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, andthe non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, and thenon-alert mode has been set, the security system can automaticallyswitch to the alert mode without the instruction to switch to the alertmode from the user of the security service. With this, the occurrence ofthe absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and this brings about the effect that the level of securitycan be significantly improved.

Further, a security system of the present invention includes: a controldevice for performing a predetermined coping action when an abnormalityis detected in a monitored area; and a plurality of non-monitored persondetecting sensors for detecting the non-monitored person in themonitored area, the control device including: a mode switching section(mode switching means) for switching between an alert mode with whichthe coping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed; a storage section for storing initial state data thatindicates initial states of the non-monitored person detecting sensorsin the alert mode; and an initial state detection section (human bodysensor confirming section, initial state detection means) for detectinga matching between detection states of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors and the initial state data, the mode switching meansautomatically switching to the alert mode, when the detection states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with the initialstate data, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the detection states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, andthe non-alert mode has been set, the security system can automaticallyswitch to the alert mode without the instruction to switch to the alertmode from the user of the security service. With this, the occurrence ofthe absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and this brings about the effect that the level of securitycan be significantly improved.

Still further, the security system of the present invention includes amode switching reminder section (mode switching report means) forcausing a remote alarm device located at a remote place to present modechange report information, when the mode switching section (modeswitching means) automatically switches to the alert mode.

With this arrangement, even if the user leaves home without switching tothe alert mode, it is possible for the user to receive, through theremote alarm device, the report that the security system automaticallyhas switched to the alert mode. This brings about the effect that it ispossible to bring peace of mind to the user.

Note that, the foregoing security system may be realized by a computer.In this case, the invention also includes (i) a control program thatrealizes on the computer the foregoing security system by causing thecomputer to function as each of the foregoing means, and (ii) acomputer-readable storage medium storing the foregoing control program.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of theinvention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of asecurity system of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating aconfiguration of the security system of the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an alternative exampleof the security system illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating how the security system illustratedin FIG. 3 operates.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating concrete examples ofdetection states of an outing motion detection sensors provided in thesecurity systems illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of another alternative example ofthe security system illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a further alternative example ofthe security system illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a sensor state accumulative storingprocess of the security systems illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 11.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a concrete example ofsensor state accumulative data of the security systems illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 11.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating how the security system illustratedin FIG. 1 operates.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating yet anotheralternative example of the security system illustrated in FIG. 1.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention is described below withreference to FIGS. 1-11.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating in detail aconfiguration of a security system 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofthis security system 1. FIGS. 3, 6, 7, and 11 are functional blockdiagrams illustrating in detail a configuration of an alternativeexample of the security system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1. Note thatmembers having the same functions are given the same reference numbers,so that the descriptions thereof are omitted for the sake ofconvenience.

The present embodiment describes the security system 1, which is atypical home security system, in which detection information detected bysecurity sensors 33 installed in a house is supplied to a mobile phoneof the user. It is noted that the security system of the presentinvention may be widely applied to another system arranged in adifferent manner, e.g. a system which includes a security center.

When an abnormality regarding the house is detected in accordance with adetection signal from the security sensor 33, the security system 1performs a predetermined coping action such as issuing an alert, underthe control of the home controller 10. In the security system 1, it ispossible through the home controller 10 to switch between (i) an alertmode with which the coping action is performed upon detection of anabnormality regarding the house and (ii) a non-alert mode with which theaforesaid action is not performed. Moreover, even if the user has lefthome without setting the alert mode, the security system 1 detects thatthe user has left home without setting the alert mode, so as to (1)automatically switch over to the alert mode or (2) provide mode changereminder information to a remote alarm device 40 such as a mobile phone,in order to advice the user to switch the security system to the alertmode. The user away from home can switch the mode of the security systemto the alert mode, by means of the remote alarm device 40. In order todetect that the user forgot to set the alert mode, the security system 1(1) detects the outing motion of the user and/or (2) compares detectionstates of human body sensors in the non-alert mode with initial statesin the alert mode to determined if there is a matching.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the security system 1 is arranged in such amanner that a sensor two-way transmission section 11 of the homecontroller 10 is connected with the human body sensors 31, outing motiondetection sensors 32, and the security sensors 33, while a networktwo-way transmission section 14 is connected to the remote alarm device40 via a communications network N.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, these sensors and the home controller 10 ofthe security system 1 are set up in the house that is a monitored areaA, in the following manner: A four-and-a-half-mat Western-style room isprovided with a home controller (HC). A six-mat Western-style room, akitchen, a six-mat Japanese-style room, and a veranda are provided withhuman body sensors SB1-SB4, respectively. A human body sensor SA1 isprovided at an entrance, an open-close detection sensor SA2 is providedon a front door D, and a human body sensor SA3 is further providedoutside the front door D. These sensors send and receive signals to/fromthe home controller 10, through wired/wireless communications. It isnoted that the human body sensors SB1-SB4 correspond to the human bodysensors 31 illustrated in FIG. 1. Also, the human body sensors SA1 andSA3 and the open-close detection sensor SA2 at the front door Dcorrespond to the outing motion detection sensors 32 in FIG. 1.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 2 as being identical with theconventional one, the security sensors 33 are also provided in suitablelocations in the house. The signal transmissions between the securitysensors 33 and the home controller 10 are also performed in a manneridentical with those between the other sensors and the home controller10. Furthermore, the performances, positions, and numbers of the humanbody sensors 31, the outing motion detection sensors 32, and thesecurity sensors 33 can be arbitrarily determined in view of the purposeof the security.

The security sensors 33 detect an abnormality in the monitored area A.These sensors 33 can be provided in line with the purpose of thesecurity. For instance, the security sensors 33 detect the presence of ahuman body, the break down of glass, fire, gas leakage, a temperature ofan air conditioner, turn-off of a breaker, and the like, by means ofsensing media such as light, sound (including supersonic wave andacoustic pressure), electric waves (especially microwave), and images.

In non-alert mode, the human body sensors 31 detect a non-monitoredperson in the monitored area A. This non-monitored person is anon-intruder whose presence is not seen as an abnormality, and is aninhabitant of the house (FIG. 2) in a practical sense. Hereinafter, thenon-monitored person and the administrator who can switch between themodes are regarded as an identical person, and both of them are referredto as “user”.

The outing motion detection sensors 32 are provided in such a mannerthat they can detect the motion of the user leaving the monitored areaA. The outing motion detection sensors 32 are, for instance, provided soas to detect a sequence of actions of the user who passes the exit(front door D) of the monitored area A, from the inside of the monitoredarea A to the outside. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, thehuman body sensor SA1 is provided at the entrance, the open-closedetection sensor SA2 is provided on the front door D, and the human bodysensor SA3 is provided outside the front door D. Note that, as theopen-close detection sensor SA2 on the front door D, a magnet switch canbe adopted.

Examples of the human body sensors 31, the outing motion detectionsensors 32, and the security sensors 33 which are sensors detecting ahuman body include a pyroelectric human body sensor that detects a bodytemperature of a person who enters the monitored area and then outputs asignal. Apart from this sensor, a human body can be detected using aDoppler sensor and a photoelectric sensor, or by processing images takenby a video camera.

The human body sensors 31 and the outing motion detection sensors 32 mayfunction as the security sensors 33 that detect an intrusion in thealert mode. That is to say, the human body sensors 31 and the outingmotion detection sensors 32 can be used as the security sensors 33. Morespecifically, the following arrangement can be realized: in thenon-alert mode, the human body sensors SB1-SB4, the human body sensorsSA1 and SA3, and the open-close detection sensor SA2 on the front doorD, which are illustrated in FIG. 2, are caused to function as the humanbody sensors 31 and the outing motion detection sensors 32, while, inthe alert mode, these sensors SB1-SB4, SA1, SA3, and SA2 are caused tofunction as the security sensors 33. Furthermore, apart from the humanbody sensors SB1-SB4, SA1, and SA3, the security sensors 33 may includeanother human body sensor. Incidentally, it is noted that FIGS. 1, 3, 6,7, and 11 premise on the above-described case. As a matter of course,human body sensors exclusively for detecting the user may be differentfrom human body sensors exclusively for detecting an intruder.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the home controller 10 includes: the sensortwo-way transmission section 11; a detection signal collecting section12; an alarm generating section 13; the network two-way transmissionsection 14; a setting input section 15, and a mode control section 20.By the way, the home controller 10 is preferably provided with achargeable secondary battery, in consideration of power failures.

The sensor two-way transmission section 11 performs communications withthe sensors (human body sensors 31, the outing motion detection sensors32, and the security sensors 33). More specifically, the sensor two-waytransmission section 11 may perform wired or wireless communications.

The detection signal collecting section 12 collects and processes thedetection signals supplied from the respective sensors. The detectionsignal collecting section 12 then supplies the detection signals, whichare collected from the security sensors 33, to the alarm generatingsection 13. Also, the detection signal collecting section 12 supplies,to the human body sensor confirming section 23 and the sensor stateaccumulating section 25, the detection signals collected from the humanbody sensors 31. Moreover, the detection signal collecting section 12supplies, to the outing motion detecting section 22, the detectionsignals collected from the outing motion detection sensors 32.

In the alert mode, the alarm generating section 13 performs thepredetermined coping action when the security sensors 33 detect anabnormality. As the coping action, the security system 1 sends an alertto the remote alarm device 40. In addition to this, an alert may besuitably supplied to the police, fire station, security center, and thelike. The alarm generating section 13 sets a mode in accordance with acontrol signal supplied from a mode switching section 21.

The network two-way transmission section 14 performs the communicationswith the communications network N. The communications network N is, forexample, the Internet.

The setting input section 15 is a user interface for the user of thesecurity system 1. This setting input section 15 allows the user to setthe alert mode and the like and displays various kinds of information.

The mode control section 20 controls the mode of the alarm generatingsection 13. To do so, the mode control section 20 includes: the modeswitching section 21, the outing motion detecting section 22, the humanbody sensor confirming section 23, a mode switching reminder section 24,the sensor state accumulating section 25, and a storage section 26. Bythe way, the sensor state accumulating section 25 and the storagesection 26 will be described later.

The outing motion detecting section 22 detects the motion of the usergoing out from the monitored area A, in accordance with the detectionstates of the outing motion detection sensors 32. The outing motiondetecting section 22 obtains the detection states via the sensor two-waytransmission section 11 and the detection signal collecting section 12.As described above, the outing motion detection sensors 32 include thehuman body sensors SA1 and SA3 and the open-close detection sensor SA2on the front door D.

The human body sensor confirming section 23 judges whether or not thedetection states of the human body sensors 31 in the non-alert mode arein predetermined states. These detections states of the human bodysensors 31 are obtained via the sensor two-way transmission section 11and the detection signal collecting section 12. In the simplest case,the human body sensor confirming section 23 confirms that the detectionstates of the human body sensors 31 are all OFF (Pattern 0), i.e.conforms that no one is in the monitored area A. Also, the human bodysensor confirming section 23 compares a pattern of the detection statesof the human body sensors 31 with highest accumulative frequencypatterns (e.g. Patterns 0-2), the number of which is predetermined, insensor state accumulative data 26 a (FIG. 9) stored in the storagesection 26, so as to detect a matching therebetween. This matching willbe described later in conjunction with the sensor state accumulatingsection 25 and the storage section 26.

In accordance with a mode switching instruction inputted by the user,the mode switching section 21 switches between (i) the alert mode withwhich the coping action is performed if the security sensors 33 detectan abnormality and (ii) the non-alert mode with which the coping actionis not performed. This mode switching instruction is either inputtedusing the setting input section 15 or supplied from the remote alarmdevice 40.

The mode switching instruction is inputted using the setting inputsection 15, when the user in the monitored area A switches from thenon-alert mode to the alert mode, before leaving home. Meanwhile, themode switching instruction is supplied from the remote alarm device 40,basically when the user who has received the mode reminder informationinputs the instruction from the outside of the monitored area A. As amatter of course, the user outside of the monitored area A can input themode switching instruction using the remote alarm device 40, beforereceiving the mode reminder information.

When the mode switching section 21 in the non-alert mode detects thatthe user has left home, the mode switching section 21 causes the modeswitching reminder section 24 to send the mode change reminderinformation to the remote alarm device 40. The mode switching section 21performs this action when the non-alert mode is set and one of thefollowing conditions is met: the outing motion detection sensors 32detect that the user has left home (Situation 1 (FIG. 6)); the humanbody sensor 31 does not detect the user (Situation 2 (FIG. 7)); thedetection states of the human body sensors 31 are matched with theinitial state of the alert mode (Situation 3 (FIG. 11)); the outingmotion detection sensors 32 detect that the user has left home and thehuman body sensors 31 do not detect any other users (Situation 4 (FIG.3)); and the outing motion detection sensors 32 detect that the user hasleft home and the detection states of the human body sensors 31 arematched with the initial state of the alert mode (Situation 5 (FIG. 1)).

The mode switching reminder section 24 sends the mode change reminderinformation to the remote alarm device 40 carried by the user away fromhome, via the network two-way transmission section 14 and thecommunications network N. The mode change reminder information can bedelivered to the user in any manner, as long as the user is informedthat the security system 1 is in the non-alert mode and is advised toswitch to the alert mode. More specifically, the mode change reminderinformation may be presented as images and texts, or may be delivered asone of alarm sound, illumination of a lamp, and vibration.

Upon receiving, from the remote alarm device 40, the instruction toswitch to the alert mode in response to the mode change reminderinformation, the mode switching reminder section 24 supplies, to themode switching section 21, a control signal indicating the mode change.

The remote alarm device 40 is a portable communication device that theuser can carry around. This remote alarm device 40 is provided with areminder information providing section 41 and a switch instruction inputsection 42. To form the reminder information presenting section 41 andthe switch instruction input section 42, the remote alarm device 40 hasuser interfaces such as a display panel, a speaker, a vibration motor, akeyboard, a dial and the like, which are suitable for presenting andinputting information.

The reminder information presenting section 41 presents the mode changereminder information supplied from the home controller 10. The switchinstruction input section 42 is used by the user to input theinstruction to switch to the alert mode.

The remote alarm device 40 is preferably arranged in such a manner thatthe user never leaves home without the remote alarm device 40. Forinstance, the functions of the remote alarm device 40 may beincorporated into a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, PHS, andPDA. Alternatively, the remote alarm device 40 may be integrated with akey for the exit of the monitored area A or a remote-key to a car.

A security system 1A illustrated in FIG. 3 is now discussed. Thissecurity system 1A is provided with a mode control section 20A that isidentical with the mode control section 20 (FIG. 1), except that thesensor state accumulating section 25 and the storage section 26 are notprovided.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating how the security system 1Aillustrated in FIG. 3 operates.

When the user has left home without setting the alert mode, i.e. in thenon-alert state (NO in S11), the outing motion detecting section 22checks the detection state of the outing motion detection sensor 32provided on the front door D (S12 (outing motion detecting step)). Ifthe outing motion detecting section 22 detects that the user has lefthome (YES in S12), the human body sensor confirming section 23 judgeswhether or not all of the human body sensors 31 are OFF (S13 (initialstate detecting step)). Note that the steps S12 and S13 may be performedin an inverse order.

Subsequently, if the human body sensor confirming section 23 judges thatall of the human body sensors 31 are OFF (YES in S13), the securitysystem 1A is put on hold for a predetermined period of time in order toconfirm that the condition is stable (S16), and then the mode switchingreminder section 24 sends the mode change reminder information to theremote alarm device 40 (S17). Incidentally, the steps S17 and S18correspond to the mode switching reminder step.

Upon receiving the mode change reminder information, the remote alarmdevice 40 causes the reminder information presenting section 41 topresent the information to the user (S18). The remote alarm device 40then receives approval for or objection to the setting of the alert modethrough the switch instruction input section 42, and transmits theresponse to the mode change reminder information to the home controller10 (Sl9).

In the home controller 10, the mode switching reminder section 24receives the response from the remote alarm device 40. If the responseis an instruction to switch to the alert mode (YES in S20), the modeswitching reminder section 24 requests the mode switching section 21 toswitch the mode (S21 (mode switching step)).

In this manner, when the outing motion detection sensors 32 detect thatthe user has left home and the human body sensors 31 do not detect thepresence of any other users, the security system 1A judges that the userhas forgotten to set the alert mode, and sends, to the remote alarmdevice 40, the mode change reminder information in order to advice theuser to set the alert mode. Upon receiving this information, the userreplies, to the home controller 10, whether or not the alert mode isset.

If the reply from the user indicates that the switching to the alertmode is necessary, the home controller 10 causes the alarm generatingsection 13 to shift to the alert mode. If the reply from the userindicates that the switching to the alert mode is unnecessary, the homecontroller 10 finishes the process without the shift to the alert mode.

Next, the outing motion detecting step (S12) of detecting the outingmotion of the user will be specifically discussed in reference to FIG.5. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a concrete example ofthe detection states of the outing motion detection sensors provided inthe security system 1A illustrated in FIG. 3.

In general, the user regularly takes sequential actions at the time ofleaving the house (the monitored area A). Taking this into account, asthe outing motion detecting step, the outing motion detecting section 22identifies these sequential actions for the outing, on ground of theflow of detection results of the outing motion detection sensors 32.More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the outing motion detectingsection 22 checks whether or not the following sequential changes of thestates occur: the human body sensor SA1 at the entrance turns ON→thefront door D “OPEN” (i.e. the open-close detection sensor SA2 turnsON)→the human body sensor SA3 outside the front door D turns ON.

It is noted that the outing motion detecting section 22 stores thedetection signals supplied from the outing motion detection sensor 32,each time the states vary. On this account, the times in FIG. 5 are notnecessarily at fixed intervals.

As described above, the outing motion detection sensors 32 detect towhich direction the user moves. For this reason, the outing motiondetection sensors 32 may be composed of any two of the human bodysensors SA1 and SA3 and the open-close detection sensor SA2 on the frontdoor D. However, the number of the outing motion detection sensor 32 ispreferably three, from the view point of accuracy. Incidentally, if themonitored area A has more than one exit (e.g. a kitchen door isadditionally provided), such an additional exit is also provided withthe outing motion detection sensors 32.

If the sequence of the changes of the detection signals, which aresupplied from the respective outing motion detection sensors 32corresponding to the outing motion of the user, has been unknown, thechanges of the detection signals within a predetermined period after theuser sets the alert mode by the setting input section 15 of the homecontroller 10 are set as the sequence corresponding to the outing motionof the user, by the outing motion detecting section 22. For instance, inFIG. 2, at the time of leaving home, the user operates the homecontroller 10 in the four-and-a-half-mat Western-style room so as to setthe alert mode, and then moves to the entrance and goes out through thefront door D. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 5 for example, theouting motion detecting section 22 stores the states of the detectionsignals that are supplied from the outing motion detection sensors 32during the aforesaid actions of the user, as reference data fordetecting the outing motion of the user. It is noted that the study ofthe history is helpful for determining the reference data, as in thebelow-mentioned case of the sensor state accumulating section 25.

As described above, the security system 1 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes(i) the security sensors 33 that detect an abnormality in the monitoredarea A and (ii) the home controller 10 that performs the predeterminedcoping action when the security sensors 33 detect the abnormality, andfurther includes (iii) the outing motion detection sensors 32 thatdetect the actions of the user at the time of going out from themonitored area A and (iv) the human body sensors 31 that detect theexistence of the user in the monitored area A. Moreover, the homecontroller 10 includes (I) the mode switching section 21 that switchesbetween the alert mode with which the coping action is performed if thesecurity sensors 33 detect the abnormality and the non-alert mode withwhich the coping action is not performed, and (II) the mode switchingreminder section 24 that causes the remote alarm device 40 located at aremote place to present the mode change reminder information indicatingthe following case: the outing motion detection sensors 32 detect thatthe user has left home, the human body sensors 31 do not detect thepresence of any other users, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, the mode change reminder information is presentedby the remote alarm device 40 in the case where the outing motiondetection sensors 32 detect that the user has left home, the human bodysensors 31 do not detect the presence of any other users, and thenon-alert mode has been set. In this manner, the user of the securityservice is advised to switch to the alert mode. On this account, theabsence of security measures caused by a human error can be prevented,and hence the level of security can be significantly improved.

Now, the security system 1B illustrated in FIG. 6 will be discussed.This security system 1B is provided with a mode control section 20Bwhich is identical with the mode control section 20 (FIG. 1), exceptthat the human body sensor confirming section 23, the sensor stateaccumulating section 25, and the storage section 26 are not providedtherein. The security system 1B does not require the human body sensors31, and the detection of intrusion is performed by the security sensors33 that also function as human body sensors.

The security system 1 illustrated in FIG. 6 includes (i) the securitysensors 33 that detect an abnormality in the monitored area A, (ii) thehome controller 10 that performs a predetermined coping action when thesecurity sensors 33 detect the abnormality, and (iii) the outing motiondetection sensors 32 that detect the actions of the user at the time ofgoing out from the monitored area A, and the home controller 10 includes(I) the mode switching section 21 that switches between the alert modewith which the coping action is performed if the security sensors 33detect the abnormality and the non-alert mode with which the copingaction is not performed, and (II) the mode switching reminder section 24that causes the remote alarm device 40 located at a remote place topresent the mode change reminder information in the case when the outingmotion detection sensors 32 detect that the user has left home and thenon-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensors 32detect that the user has left home and the non-alert mode has been set,the mode change reminder information is presented by the remote alarmdevice 40, thereby advising the user of the security service to switchto the alert mode. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence ofthe absence of security measures caused by a human error, and hence thelevel of security is significantly improved.

Now, the security system 1C illustrated in FIG. 7 will be discussed. Thesecurity system 1C is provided with a mode control section 20C that isidentical with the mode control section 20 (FIG. 1) except that theouting motion detecting section 22, the sensor state accumulatingsection 25, and the storage section 26 are not provided. This securitysystem 1C does not require the outing motion detection sensors 32. Thedetection of the intrusion through the front door D is detected by thesecurity sensors 33 that also function as human body sensors.

The security system 1 illustrated in FIG. 7 includes (i) the securitysensors 33 that detect an abnormality in the monitored area A, (ii) thehome controller 10 that performs a predetermined coping action when thesecurity sensors 33 detect the abnormality, and (iii) the human bodysensors 31 that detect the existence of the user in the monitored areaA, and the home controller 10 includes (I) the mode switching remindersection 24 that switches between the alert mode with which the copingaction is performed if the security sensors 33 detects the abnormalityand the non-alert mode with which the coping action is not performed,and (II) the mode switching reminder section 24 that causes the remotealarm device 40 located at a remote place to present the mode changereminder information in the case when the human body sensors 31 do notdetect the presence of any other users and the non-alert mode has beenset.

With this arrangement, when the human body sensors 31 do not detect theuser and the non-alert mode has been set, the mode change reminderinformation is presented by the remote alarm device 40, thereby advisingthe user of the security service to switch to the alert mode. On thisaccount, the occurrence of the absence of security measures caused by ahuman error can be prevented, and the level of security can besignificantly improved.

Next, the sensor state accumulating section 25 and the storage section26 of the security system 1, illustrated in FIG. 1, will be discussed.

As already described in relation to the security system 1A (FIG. 3) andthe security system 1C (FIG. 7), if the human body sensor confirmingsection 23 confirms that all of the human body sensors 31 are OFF, it isconfirmed that the user has left the monitored area A.

In the security system, however, the monitored area A is not alwaysunmanned even if the security mode is set. Also, the sensors may be ofpoor maintenance. By the way, it has generally been said that securitysystems are often accompanied with false alarm. For these reasons,whether or not the user has left the monitored area may not be properlydetermined if the determination sorely depends on the check of the (OFF)states of the human body sensors 31.

Therefore, the security system 1 learns the detection states of thehuman body sensors 31 at the time of user's setting the alert mode. Morespecifically, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the security system 1 generatesthe sensor state accumulative data 26 a in which the detection states(initial states) of the human body sensors 31 at the time of switchingto the alert mode are associated with the accumulative frequencies ofthe detection states. With this data, the security system in thenon-alert mode judges that the user has left home without setting thealert mode, when a pattern of the detection states of the human bodysensors 31 is matched with a high accumulative frequency pattern of theinitial states. It is noted that the accumulative frequency of thedetection states indicates how often the user set the alert mode in apattern including those detection states.

The following will specifically describe the sensor state accumulativestoring process.

Upon receiving the instruction to switch to the alert mode, the sensorstate accumulating section 25 edits the sensor state accumulative data26 a. In doing so, the detection states of the human body sensors 31, atthe time of receiving the instruction or after a predetermined periodhas elapsed from the arrival of the instruction, are set as theaforesaid initial states. Then, the sensor state accumulating section 25stores the sensor state accumulative data 26 a in the storage section26. On this occasion, if the aforesaid pattern of the detection stateshas already been stored in the sensor state accumulative data 26 a, thesensor state accumulating section 25 increments by 1 with respect to theaccumulative frequency of that pattern of the detection states.Meanwhile, if the aforesaid pattern of the detection states is notstored in the sensor state accumulative data 26 a, the aforesaid patternis added to the sensor state accumulative data 26 a, and the frequencyof this pattern is set to “1”. Note that, as described above, the modeswitching instruction may be inputted through the setting input section15 or may be supplied from the remote alarm device 40.

It is also noted that, during the aforesaid predetermined time, thesystem is put on hold until the detection states of the human bodysensors 31 are stabilized. This time is, for instance, a time duringwhich the user is supposed to go through the front door D (exit of themonitored area) and leave the monitored area A, after switching the modeusing the home controller 10 provided in the monitored area A. On thisaccount, depending on the locations of the human body sensors 31, thedetection states may be stored simultaneously with the switching to thealert mode.

The storage section 26 is, for instance, a nonvolatile memory, andstores the sensor state accumulative data 26 a indicating the initialstates of the human body sensors 31 in the alert mode, as describedabove.

The human body sensor confirming section 23 compares a pattern of thedetection states of the human body sensors 31 with highest accumulativefrequency patterns, the number of which is predetermined, registered inthe sensor state accumulative data 26 a, so as to detect a matchingtherebetween. Note that the human body sensor confirming section 23 maycompare the detection states with all of the patterns registered in thesensor state accumulative data 26 a. That is to say, in some cases, if apattern of the detection states is matched with the pattern with whichthe alert mode was set for once (i.e. the accumulative frequency is atleast 1), it may be judged that there is a possibility that the user hasleft home without switching to the alert mode.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the sensor state accumulative storingprocess of the security systems illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 11.

First, when the user sets the alarm mode through the home controller 10or the remote alarm device 40 (S31), the mode switching section 21notifies the sensor state accumulating section 25 of the switching tothe alert mode. Subsequently, the sensor state accumulating section 25obtains the detection states of all of the human body sensors 31 in thehouse via the detection signal collecting section 12, within apredetermined period of time, so that the sensor state accumulatingsection 25 determines the detection states after the predeterminedperiod of time has elapsed from the setting of the alarm mode (S41 andS42). Then the sensor state accumulating section 25 registers thepattern of the determined detection states to the sensor stateaccumulative data 26 a, increments by 1 with respect to the accumulativefrequency of that pattern, and stores the determined detection states tothe sensor state accumulative data 26 a in the storage section 26 (S43).

It is noted that, during the predetermined time in the step S42, thesystem is put on hold in order to allow the user to go out through thefront door D after setting the alert mode using the home controller 10.If the non-alert mode is set again during the predetermined time (S32),the process finishes without registering the pattern of the detectionstates. This step assumes such a case that the user steps outside for ashort period of time, for example, to take a delivered newspaper.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a concrete example of thesensor state accumulative data of the security system 1 illustrated inFIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the sensor state accumulative data 26 a,the patterns of the detection states of the human body sensors 31 onoccasions that the user sets the alert mode are registered, with theaccumulative frequencies of those patterns. In the example of FIG. 9,the detection states of all of the human body sensors 31 are OFF inPattern 0. It is noted that, although the human body sensor SA1 at theentrance mainly functions as the outing motion detection sensor 32, thedetection states of the human body sensor SA1 which functions as thehuman body sensors 31 may be registered as illustrated in FIG. 9. In thesituation illustrated in FIG. 9, if the detection states of the humanbody sensors 31 when the user set the alarm mode correspond to Pattern1, the accumulative frequency of Pattern 1 is updated to “31”.

The user typically activates the security system 1 on the occasion ofleaving home, so that the user sets the alert mode in such an occasion.On this account, the detection states of the human body sensor 31 in thealert mode are identical with the detection states when the user surelysets the alert mode. Also, a pattern of the detection states of thehuman body sensors 31 is closely related to the alert mode, on conditionthat the pattern is identical with the pattern of the detection statesat the time of the switch to the alert mode. In other words, a highaccumulative frequency pattern of the detection states is likely to be apattern in the alert mode. Therefore, the accumulative frequencies ofthe patterns of the detection states of the human body sensors 31 whenthe user surely sets the alert mode are obtained, and as a result ofjudgment from the obtained accumulative frequencies, it is possible tocertainly recognize whether or not the alert mode has been set, from thedetection states of the human body sensors 31.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating how the security system 1illustrated in FIG. 1 operates. In the flowchart in FIG. 10, the stepsof checking a matching with high accumulative frequent patterns of thedetection states of the human body sensors 31 in the alert mode in thepast are added to the steps in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 4, sothat the reliability of the system is further improved. Morespecifically, the steps of checking the matching with Pattern 1 andPattern 2 (which are first and second high accumulative frequencypatterns except Pattern 0 with which all of the human body sensors areOFF) are added to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 4 (i.e. S13 and S14(initial state detecting steps) are added). As a matter of course, onecan suitably decide up to what number-th pattern the matching ischecked. For this reason, the matching may be checked only with respectto the first high accumulative frequency pattern, or the matching may bechecked with respect to all of the accumulative frequency patterns.

With this, the initial states of the human body sensors 31, not limitedto the initial states in which the human body sensors 31 are all OFF,can be flexibly detected. On this account, it is possible to increasethe reliability of the decision of whether or not the mode changereminder information should be sent in order to advice the user toswitch to the alert mode.

Note that, at the initial use of the security system 1, not manypatterns of the detection states of the human body sensors 31 areaccumulated in the system. For this reason, the security system 1 isoperated in accordance with the flowchart in FIG. 4 for a start, andafter a certain number of the patterns is accumulated, the securitysystem 1 operates in accordance with the flowchart in FIG. 10.

As described above, the security system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes(i) the security sensors 33 that detect an abnormality in the monitoredarea A, (ii) the home controller 10 that performs a predetermined copingaction when the security sensors 33 detect the abnormality, (iii) theouting motion detection sensors 32 that detect the actions of the userat the time of going out from the monitored area A, and

-   -   (iv) the human body sensors 31 that detect the existence of the        user in the monitored area A, and the home controller 10        includes (I) the mode switching section 21 that switches between        the alert mode with which the coping action is performed if the        security sensors 33 detects the abnormality and the non-alert        mode with which the coping action is not performed, (II) the        storage section 26 that stores the sensor state accumulative        data 26 a indicating the initial states of the human body        sensors 31 in the alert mode, (III) the human body sensor        confirming section 23 that compares the detection states of the        human body sensors 31 with the sensor state accumulative data 26        a to detect a matching, and (IV) the mode switching reminder        section 24 that causes the remote alarm device 40 located at a        remote place to present the mode change reminder information in        the case when the outing motion detection sensors 32 detect that        the user has left home, the detection states of the human body        sensors 31 are matched with the sensor state accumulative data        26 a, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this, when the outing motion detection sensors 32 detect that theuser of the security service has left home, the detection states of thehuman body sensors 31 are matched with the sensor state accumulativedata 26 a, and non-alert mode has been set, the mode change reminderinformation is presented by the remote alarm device 40 so that the useris advised to switch to the alert mode. On this account, the occurrenceof the absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and the level of security can be significantly improved.

Referring to FIG. 11, the security system 1D will be discussed. Thissecurity system 1D includes a mode control section 20D which isidentical with the mode control section 20 (illustrated in FIG. 1),except that the outing motion detecting section 22 is not provided. Inthis security system 1D, the outing motion detection sensor 32 is notrequired. The detection of intrusion through the front door D isperformed by the security sensors 33, which function as human bodysensors or the like.

The security system 1 illustrated in FIG. 11 includes (i) the securitysensors 33 that detect an abnormality in the monitored area A, (ii) thehome controller 10 that performs a predetermined coping action when thesecurity sensors 33 detect the abnormality, and (iii) a plurality of thehuman body sensors 31 that detect the presence of the user in themonitored area A, and the home controller 10 includes (I) the modeswitching section 21 that switches between the alert mode with which thecoping action is performed if the security sensors 33 detects theabnormality and the non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed, (II) the storage section 26 that stores the sensor stateaccumulative data 26 a indicating the initial states of the human bodysensors 31 in the alert mode, (III) the human body sensor confirmingsection 23 that compares the detection states of the human body sensors31 with the sensor state accumulative data 26 a, and (IV) the modeswitching reminder section 24 that causes the remote alarm device 40located at a remote place to present the mode change reminderinformation in the case when the detection states of the human bodysensors 31 are matched with the sensor state accumulative data 26 a, andthe non-alert mode has been set.

With this, when the detection states of the human body sensors 31 arematched with the sensor state accumulative data 26 a and the non-alertmode has been set, the mode change reminder information is presented bythe remote alarm device 40, thereby advising the user to switch to thealert mode. On this account, the occurrence of the absence of securitymeasures caused by a human error can be prevented, and the level ofsecurity can be significantly improved.

As described above, the security system 1 can decide when the alert modeshould be set, in accordance with: (i) the detection of the outingmotion of the user by the outing motion detection sensor 32; (ii)confirmation that the detection states of all of the human body sensors31 are OFF; and (iii) comparison between the current detection states ofthe human body sensors 31 and the detection states of the human bodysensors 31 when the user surely set the alert mode in the past. On thisaccount, when such a human error that the user has left home withoutsetting the alert mode occurs, the security system 1 can advise the userto set the alert mode. The reliability of the security system istherefore significantly improved.

Furthermore, the security system 1 is arranged such that the mode changereminder information is sent to the user so that the system is switchedto the alert mode in accordance with the decision and response of theuser. When the user does not wish to set the alert mode due to anyparticular reasons, the system is not switched to the alert mode. Inthis manner, the system can be flexibly operated.

As described above, the security system 1 can always support the userwho forgot to set the alert mode, without imposing a burden on the user.In this manner, in this security system the user and the systemcomplement each other.

Moreover, the security system 1 does not require a large number ofsensors for sending the mode change reminder information, and theprocess for sending the information is simple. On this account, thesecurity system 1 is small in size and its manufacturing costs are low.Moreover, the security sensors 33 can be used as the human body sensors31 and the outing motion detection sensor 32. In other words, thesensors that are not used in the non-alert mode are effectively utilizedfor another purpose.

The embodiment being thus described does not impose any limit on thepresent invention, and it will be obvious that the same way may bevaried in many ways within the scope of the present invention. Forinstance, the present invention may be arranged as follows.

For example, the mode switching section 21 preferably switchesautomatically to the alert mode, when the mode switching remindersection 24 fails to send the mode change reminder information to theremote alarm device 40, or when the remote alarm device 40 does notreply to the mode switching reminder section 24 within a predeterminedperiod of time after the mode change reminder information was sent tothe remote alarm device 40. In these cases, the report of the switch maybe supplied from the mode switching reminder section 24 to the remotealarm device 40.

When the conditions on which the mode change reminder information issent to the user are met, the mode switching section 21 mayautomatically switch to the alert mode instead of causing the modeswitching reminder section 24 to send the mode change reminderinformation.

More specifically, the mode switching section (mode switching means) 21in the non-alert mode may automatically switch to the alert mode(automatic switching process), (1) when the outing motion detectionsensor 32 detects that the user has left home, (2) when the detectionstates of the human body sensors 31 are matched with the initial statesstored as the sensor state accumulative data 26 a in the storage section26, or (3) when the outing motion detection sensor 32 detects that theuser has left home, and the detection states of the human body sensors31 are matched with the initial states. In short, the security system 1may automatically switch to the alert mode without advising the user todo so.

If automatically switching to the alert mode as described above, themode switching section 21 may cause the mode switching reminder section24 to send mode change report information indicating the switching tothe alert mode to the remote alarm device 40, so as to cause the remotealarm device 40 to present, to the user, the report of the automaticswitch. Moreover, it is possible to adopt such an arrangement that, as aresponse to the mode change report information, the remote alarm device40 outputs an approval of or objection to the automatic switch, and themode switching section 21 controls the mode in line with the response.

When the mode switching section 21 receives the approval of theautomatic switch from the user, the sensor state accumulating section 25may register the pattern of the detection states of the human bodysensors 31 at the time of the automatic switch to the sensor stateaccumulative data 26 a and stores it in the storage section 26, afterincrementing by “1” with respect to the accumulative frequency of thatpattern.

Also, as the remote alarm device 40, a fixed alarm box may be provided.If such an alarm box is provided on a path from the entrance to thegate, it is possible to advice the user on the path to set the alarm bymeans of warning sound and light, even if the user does not carry amobile phone and the like. Since the alarm box is provided outside ofthe house, the warning message is preferably encrypted.

Instead of providing the human body sensors, the user may carry acommunicator that outputs a registered signal. In this case, theexistence of the user is detected by receiving this signal.

The blocks of the security system 1, i.e. the home controller 10 and theremote alarm device 40, may be realized by hardware logic, or may berealized by software by means of a CPU.

That is, each of the home controller 10 and the remote alarm device 40includes: a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing the order of acontrol program that is software for realizing the aforesaid functions;a storage device (storage medium) such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) thatstores the control program and various types of data; a RAM (RandomAccess Memory) for spreading out the control program, and the like. Withthis arrangement, the objective of the present invention is realized inthe following manner: a storage medium in which program codes (e.g. anexecutable code program, intermediate code program, and source program)are stored in a computer-readable manner are supplied to the homecontroller 10 and the remote alarm device 40, and the computer (or CPU,MPU) reads out the program codes from the storage medium and executesthe same. In this case, the program codes read out from the storagemedium realize the aforesaid functions.

The storage medium for supplying the program codes may be tape based,such as a magnetic tape or cassette tape; disc based, including amagnetic disc such as a floppy® disc or hard disk and an optical discsuch as CD-ROM/MO/MD/DVD/CD-R; card based, including an IC card(including a memory card) and an optical card; or a semiconductormemory, such as a mask ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read OnlyMemory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory),and a flash ROM.

Alternatively, the program codes may be supplied to the home controller10 and the remote alarm device 40 via the communications network N.Nonexclusive examples of the communication network includes theInternet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communicationnetwork, virtual private network, telephone network, mobilecommunication network, and satellite communication network. Nonexclusiveexamples of transmission media constituting the communications network Nare cables such as IEEE1394, USB, power-line carrier, cable TV lines,telephone lines, ADSL lines, and wireless connections such as IrDA andremote control using infrared light, Bluetooth®, 802.11, HDR, mobilephones, satellite connections, and terrestrial digital broadcasting.

As described above, the security system of the present invention may bearranged so as to include: a control device for performing apredetermined coping action when an abnormality is detected in amonitored area; an outing motion detection sensor for detecting actionsof a non-monitored person leaving the monitored area; and anon-monitored person detecting sensor for detecting the non-monitoredperson in the monitored area, the control device including: modeswitching means for switching between an alert mode with which thecoping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed; and mode switching reminder means for causing a remote alarmdevice located at a remote place to present mode change reminderinformation, when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, the non-monitoredperson detecting sensor does not detect any other non-monitored person,and the non-alert mode has been set.

In this specification, “non-monitored person” indicates a non-intruderwhose presence is not seen as an abnormality. Meanwhile, “user” is aperson who switches between the non-alert mode and the alert mode. Inshort, “user” is a sort of an administrator of the security system. Ifthe monitored area is, for instance, a typical house, “non-monitoredperson” and “user” are both inhabitants of the house, and hence“non-monitored person” and “user” are often the same person. On thecontrary, if the monitored area is, for instance, a commercial buildinghaving tenants, these tenants as well as the administrator are“non-monitored persons”. On this account, “non-monitored person” isoften different from “user”. Furthermore, in the security system of thisscale, “user” may not enter the monitored area while the non-alert modeis set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat a non-monitored person has left the area, the non-monitored persondetecting sensor does not detect the presence of any other user, and thenon-alert mode has been set, it is possible to advise the user of thesecurity service to switch to the alert mode by causing the remote alarmdevice to present the mode change reminder information. With this, theoccurrence of the absence of security measures caused by a human errorcan be prevented, and the level of security can be significantlyimproved.

It is noted that the timings at which the mode switching means switchesthe mode are, for instance, as follows: when the user in the monitoredarea instructs to switch the non-alert mode to the alert mode, beforeleaving the area; when the user who is outside the monitored area andhas received the mode reminder information instructs to switch the modeby means of, for instance, the remote alarm device; and when the modeswitching means automatically switches to the alert mode because acertain condition, such as a reply to the mode reminder informationhaving been sent has not returned, is met.

Further, a security system of the present invention may be arranged soas to include: a control device for performing a predetermined copingaction when an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; an outingmotion detection sensor for detecting actions of a non-monitored personwhen leaving the monitored area; and a plurality of non-monitored persondetecting sensors for detecting the non-monitored person in themonitored area, the control device including: mode switching means forswitching between an alert mode with which the coping action isperformed if the abnormality is detected in the monitored area and anon-alert mode with which the coping action is not performed; a storagesection for storing initial state data that indicates initial states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors in the alert mode; initialstate detection means for detecting a matching between detection statesof the non-monitored person detecting sensors and the initial statedata; and mode switching reminder means for causing a remote alarmdevice located at a remote place to present mode change reminderinformation, when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, the detection statesof the non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with theinitial state data, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the area, the detection states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with the initialstate data, and the non-alert mode has been set, it is possible toadvise the user of the security service to switch to the alert mode bycausing the remote alarm device to present the mode change reminderinformation. With this, the occurrence of the absence of securitymeasures caused by a human error can be prevented, and the level ofsecurity can be significantly improved.

Still further, a security system of the present invention may bearranged so as to include: a control device for performing apredetermined coping action when an abnormality is detected in amonitored area; and an outing motion detection sensor for detectingactions of a non-monitored person when leaving the monitored area, thecontrol device including: mode switching means for switching between analert mode with which the coping action is performed if the abnormalityis detected in the monitored area and a non-alert mode with which thecoping action is not performed; and mode switching reminder means forcausing a remote alarm device located at a remote place to present modechange reminder information, when the outing motion detection sensordetects that the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, andthe non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the area, and the non-alert modehas been set, it is possible to advise the user of the security serviceto switch to the alert mode by causing the remote alarm device topresent the mode change reminder information. With this, the occurrenceof the absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and the level of security can be significantly improved.

Yet further, the security system of the present invention may be suchthat the outing motion detection sensor is provided so as to detectactions of the non-monitored person who passes an exit of the monitoredarea from the inside of the monitored area to the outside.

With this arrangement, it is further possible to reliably detect thatthe non-monitored person has left the monitored area. For example, thepresent invention may be arranged such that the human body sensor isprovided at the entrance, the open-close detection sensor is provided onthe front door, and the human body sensor is provided outside the frontdoor.

Further, a security system of the present invention may be arranged soas to include: a control device for performing a predetermined copingaction when an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; and anon-monitored person detecting sensor for detecting the non-monitoredperson in the monitored area, the control device including: modeswitching means for switching between an alert mode with which thecoping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed; and mode switching reminder means for causing a remote alarmdevice located at a remote place to present mode change reminderinformation, when the non-monitored person detecting sensor detects nonon-monitored person, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the non-monitored person detecting sensordetects no non-monitored person, and the non-alert mode has been set, itis possible to advise the user of the security service to switch to thealert mode by causing the remote alarm device to present the mode changereminder information. With this, the occurrence of the absence ofsecurity measures caused by a human error can be prevented, and thelevel of security can be significantly improved.

Still further, a security system of the present invention may bearranged so as to include: a control device for performing apredetermined coping action when an abnormality is detected in amonitored area; and a plurality of non-monitored person detectingsensors for detecting the non-monitored person in the monitored area,the control device including: mode switching means for switching betweenan alert mode with which the coping action is performed if theabnormality is detected in the monitored area and a non-alert mode withwhich the coping action is not performed; a storage section for storinginitial state data that indicates initial states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors in the alert mode; and initial state detectionmeans for detecting a matching between detection states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors and the initial state data; andmode switching reminder means for causing a remote alarm device locatedat a remote place to present mode change reminder information, when thedetection states of the non-monitored person detecting sensors arematched with the initial state data, and the non-alert mode has beenset.

With this arrangement, when the detection states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, andthe non-alert mode has been set, it is possible to advise the user ofthe security service to switch to the alert mode by causing the remotealarm device to present the mode change reminder information. With this,the occurrence of the absence of security measures caused by a humanerror can be prevented, and the level of security can be significantlyimproved.

Yet further, a security system of the present invention may be arrangedsuch that the control device further includes initial state dataaccumulative storing means for, when switching to the alert mode iscarried out in accordance with an instruction from a user, storing, inthe storage section, the initial state data in which the detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors at the time of theswitching to the alert mode or after a predetermined period has elapsedfrom the switching to the alert mode are associated with theaccumulative frequencies of the detection states, and the initial statedetection means compares a pattern of the detection states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors with highest accumulativefrequency patterns, the number of which is predetermined, in the initialstate data stored in the storage section, so as to detect a matching.

With this arrangement, the detection states of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors in the alert mode are identical with the detectionstates when the user surely sets the alert mode. Also, a pattern of thedetection states of the non-monitored person detecting sensors isclosely related to the alert mode, on condition that the pattern isidentical with the pattern of the detection states at the time of theswitch to the alert mode. In other words, a high accumulative frequencypattern of the detection states is likely to be those in the alert mode.Therefore, the accumulative frequencies of the patterns of the detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors when the usersurely sets the alert mode are obtained, and as a result of judgmentfrom the obtained accumulative frequencies, it is possible to certainlyrecognize whether or not the alert mode has been set, from the detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors.

It is also noted that, during the aforesaid predetermined time after theswitching, the system is put on hold until the detection states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors are stabilized. This time is, forinstance, a time during which the user is supposed to go through theexit of the monitored area and leave the monitored area, after switchingthe mode using the control device provided in the monitored area. Onthis account, depending on the locations of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors, the detection states may be stored simultaneouslywith the switching to the alert mode. Moreover, the instruction toswitch to the alert mode by the user may be inputted through either thecontrol device or the remote alarm device.

With this, the initial states of the non-monitored person detectingsensors, not limited to the initial states in which the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors are all OFF, can be flexibly detected. On thisaccount, it is possible to increase the reliability of the decision ofwhether or not the mode change reminder information should be sent inorder to advice the user to switch to the alert mode.

Further, the security system of the present invention may be arrangedsuch that the remote alarm device includes remote-switching instructioninput means for the user inputting a mode switching instruction to thealert mode, and the mode switching means of the control device switchesto the alert mode in accordance with the mode switching instructionreceived from the remote alarm device.

With this arrangement, even if the user leaves home without switching tothe alert mode, the user away from home can carry out switching to thealert mode in response to the presentation of mode change reminderinformation through the remote alarm device.

Still further, a security system of the present invention may bearranged so as to include: a control device for performing apredetermined coping action when an abnormality is detected in amonitored area; an outing motion detection sensor for detecting actionsof a non-monitored person when leaving the monitored area; and anon-monitored person detecting sensor for detecting the non-monitoredperson in the monitored area, the control device including: modeswitching means for switching between an alert mode with which thecoping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed, the mode switching means automatically switching to the alertmode when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, the non-monitoredperson detecting sensor does not detect any other non-monitored person,and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, thenon-monitored person detecting sensor does not detect any other user,and the non-alert mode has been set, the security system canautomatically switch to the alert mode without the instruction to switchto the alert mode from the user of the security service. With this, theoccurrence of the absence of security measures caused by a human errorcan be prevented, and the level of security can be significantlyimproved.

Yet further, a security system of the present invention may be arrangedso as to include: a control device for performing a predetermined copingaction when an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; and anouting motion detection sensor for detecting actions of a non-monitoredperson when leaving the monitored area; the control device including:mode switching means for switching between an alert mode with which thecoping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed, the mode switching means automatically switching to the alertmode when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, and the non-alert modehas been set.

With this arrangement, when the outing motion detection sensor detectsthat the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, and thenon-alert mode has been set, the security system can automaticallyswitch to the alert mode without the instruction to switch to the alertmode from the user of the security service. With this, the occurrence ofthe absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and the level of security can be significantly improved.

Further, a security system of the present invention may be arranged soas to include: a control device for performing a predetermined copingaction when an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; and aplurality of non-monitored person detecting sensors for detecting thenon-monitored person in the monitored area, the control deviceincluding: mode switching means for switching between an alert mode withwhich the coping action is performed if the abnormality is detected inthe monitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action isnot performed; a storage section for storing initial state data thatindicates initial states of the non-monitored person detecting sensorsin the alert mode; and initial state detection means for detecting amatching between detection states of the non-monitored person detectingsensors and the initial state data, the mode switching meansautomatically switching to the alert mode, when the detection states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with the initialstate data, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this arrangement, when the detection states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, andthe non-alert mode has been set, the security system can automaticallyswitch to the alert mode without the instruction to switch to the alertmode from the user of the security service. With this, the occurrence ofthe absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and the level of security can be significantly improved.

Still further, the security system of the present invention may bearranged so as to include mode switching report means for causing aremote alarm device located at a remote place to present mode changereport information, when the mode switching means automatically switchesto the alert mode.

With this arrangement, even if the user leaves home without switching tothe alert mode, it is possible for the user to receive, through theremote alarm device, the report that the security system automaticallyhas switched to the alert mode. This brings peace of mind to the user.Note that, user's approval for or objection to the automatic switch maybe sent from the remote alert device to the control device.

Further, a control device of the present invention may be a component ofthe foregoing security system.

Still further, a remote alarm device of the present invention may be acomponent of the foregoing security system.

The remote alarm device of the present invention is preferably arrangedin such a manner that the user never leaves home without the remotealarm device. On this account, the remote alarm device of the presentinvention is characterized in that it is a portable telephone or thelike. Note that, the remote alarm device of the present invention may bea mobile terminal such as a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) or PDA(Personal Digital Assistant). Alternatively, the remote alarm device ofthe present invention may be integrated with a key for the exit of themonitored area or the like. Alternatively, the remote alarm device ofthe present invention may be integrated with a remote-key to a car orthe like.

A control method for a security system of the present invention may be acontrol method for a security system which can switch between an alertmode with which a predetermined coping action is performed if theabnormality is detected in a monitored area and a non-alert mode withwhich the coping action is not performed, the method including: anouting motion detecting step of an outing motion detection sensordetecting actions of a non-monitored person when leaving the monitoredarea; and a mode switching reminder step of causing a remote alarmdevice located at a remote place to present mode change reminderinformation, when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, and the non-alert modehas been set.

With this method, when the outing motion detection sensor detects thatthe non-monitored person has left the area, and the non-alert mode hasbeen set, it is possible to advise the user of the security service toswitch to the alert mode by causing the remote alarm device to presentthe mode change reminder information. With this, the occurrence of theabsence of security measures caused by a human error can be prevented,and the level of security can be significantly improved.

Further, a control method for a security system of the present inventionmay be a control method for a security system which can switch betweenan alert mode with which a predetermined coping action is performed ifthe abnormality is detected in a monitored area and a non-alert modewith which the coping action is not performed, the method including: aninitial state detecting step of detecting a matching between detectionstates of a plurality of non-monitored person detecting sensors andinitial states of the non-monitored person detecting sensors in thealert mode, the non-monitored person detecting sensors each detecting anon-monitored person in the monitored area; and a mode switchingreminder step of causing a remote alarm device located at a remote placeto present mode change reminder information, when the detection statesof the non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with theinitial states, and the non-alert mode has been set.

With this method, when the detection states of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, and thenon-alert mode has been set, it is possible to advise the user of thesecurity service to switch to the alert mode by causing the remote alarmdevice to present the mode change reminder information. With this, theoccurrence of the absence of security measures caused by a human errorcan be prevented, and the level of security can be significantlyimproved.

Still further, a control method for a security system of the presentinvention may be a control method for a security system which can switchbetween an alert mode with which a predetermined coping action isperformed if the abnormality is detected in a monitored area and anon-alert mode with which the coping action is not performed, the methodincluding: an outing motion detecting step of an outing motion detectionsensor detecting actions of a non-monitored person when leaving themonitored area; and an automatic switching step of automaticallyswitching to the alert mode when the outing motion detection sensordetects that the non-monitored person has left the monitored area, andthe non-alert mode has been set.

With this method, when the outing motion detection sensor detects thatthe non-monitored person has left the monitored area, and the non-alertmode has been set, the security system can automatically switch to thealert mode without the instruction to switch to the alert mode from theuser of the security service. With this, the occurrence of the absenceof security measures caused by a human error can be prevented, and thelevel of security can be significantly improved.

Yet further, a control method for a security system of the presentinvention may be a control method for a security system which can switchbetween an alert mode with which a predetermined coping action isperformed if the abnormality is detected in a monitored area and anon-alert mode with which the coping action is not performed, the methodincluding: an initial state detecting step of detecting a matchingbetween detection states of a plurality of non-monitored persondetecting sensors and initial states of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors in the alert mode, the non-monitored person detectingsensors each detecting a non-monitored person in the monitored area; andan automatic switching step of automatically switching to the alertmode, when the detection states of the non-monitored person detectingsensors are matched with the initial states, and the non-alert mode hasbeen set.

With this method, when the detection states of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, and thenon-alert mode has been set, the security system can automaticallyswitch to the alert mode without the instruction to switch to the alertmode from the user of the security service. With this, the occurrence ofthe absence of security measures caused by a human error can beprevented, and the level of security can be significantly improved.

Further, a control program of the present invention is a computerprogram which causes a computer to function as each of the foregoingmeans.

With this arrangement, by realizing each of the foregoing means of thesecurity system on a computer, it is possible to realize the controldevice and the remote alarm device of the security system.

Further, a computer-readable storage medium storing therein the controlprogram of the present invention is a computer-readable storage mediumstoring the control program which operates the foregoing security systemby causing a computer to realize each of the foregoing means.

With this arrangement, the control program read out from the foregoingstorage medium realizes the control device and the remote alarm deviceof the security system on a computer.

Specific embodiments or examples implemented in the description of theembodiments only show technical features of the present invention andare not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Variations can beeffected within the spirit of the present invention and the scope of thefollowing claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

A security system according to the present invention covers for theoccurrence of absence of security measures caused by such a human errorthat the user leaves home without setting the “alert mode”, withoutimposing a burden on the user. Therefore, the present invention iswidely applicable to security systems in which security measures areautomated by providing security sensors and the like in houses andbuildings. That is, the present invention is available for wide varietyof security systems ranging from a large-scale system in which asecurity center receives a security alert from a sensor via a computernetwork upon the detection of an intruder and the like by the sensor, sothat security guard are sent to the scene, to a simple system in whichinformation detected by a sensor is sent to a mobile terminal such as amobile phone of the user.

1. A security system comprising: a control device for performing apredetermined coping action when an abnormality is detected in amonitored area; an outing motion detection sensor for detecting actionsof a non-monitored person when leaving the monitored area; and anon-monitored person detecting sensor for detecting the non-monitoredperson in the monitored area, the control device including: modeswitching means for switching between an alert mode with which thecoping action is performed if the abnormality is detected in themonitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action is notperformed; and mode switching reminder means for causing a remote alarmdevice located at a remote place to present mode change reminderinformation, when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, the non-monitoredperson detecting sensor does not detect any other non-monitored person,and the non-alert mode has been set.
 2. A security system comprising: acontrol device for performing a predetermined coping action when anabnormality is detected in a monitored area; an outing motion detectionsensor for detecting actions of a non-monitored person when leaving themonitored area; and a plurality of non-monitored person detectingsensors for detecting the non-monitored person in the monitored area,the control device including: mode switching means for switching betweenan alert mode with which the coping action is performed if theabnormality is detected in the monitored area and a non-alert mode withwhich the coping action is not performed; a storage section for storinginitial state data that indicates initial states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors in the alert mode; initial state detectionmeans for detecting a matching between detection states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors and the initial state data; andmode switching reminder means for causing a remote alarm device locatedat a remote place to present mode change reminder information, when theouting motion detection sensor detects that the non-monitored person hasleft the monitored area, the detection states of the non-monitoredperson detecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, andthe non-alert mode has been set.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The security systemaccording to claim 2, wherein: the outing motion detection sensor isprovided so as to detect actions of the non-monitored person who passesan exit of the monitored area from the inside of the monitored area tothe outside.
 5. (canceled)
 6. A security system comprising: a controldevice for performing a predetermined coping action when an abnormalityis detected in a monitored area; and a plurality of non-monitored persondetecting sensors for detecting the non-monitored person in themonitored area, the control device including: mode switching means forswitching between an alert mode with which the coping action isperformed if the abnormality is detected in the monitored area and anon-alert mode with which the coping action is not performed; a storagesection for storing initial state data that indicates initial states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors in the alert mode; andinitial state detection means for detecting a matching between detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors and the initialstate data; and mode switching reminder means for causing a remote alarmdevice located at a remote place to present mode change reminderinformation, when the detection states of the non-monitored persondetecting sensors are matched with the initial state data, and thenon-alert mode has been set.
 7. The security system according to claim6, wherein: the control device further includes initial state dataaccumulative storing means for, when switching to the alert mode iscarried out in accordance with an instruction from a user, storing, inthe storage section, the initial state data in which the detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors at the time of theswitching to the alert mode or after a predetermined period has elapsedfrom the switching to the alert mode are associated with theaccumulative frequencies of the detection states, and the initial statedetection means compares a pattern of the detection states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors with highest accumulativefrequency patterns, the number of which is predetermined, in the initialstate data stored in the storage section, so as to detect a matchingtherebetween.
 8. The security system according to claim 1, wherein: theremote alarm device includes remote-switching instruction input meansfor the user inputting a mode switching instruction to the alert mode,and the mode switching means of the control device switches to the alertmode in accordance with the mode switching instruction received from theremote alarm device.
 9. A security system comprising: a control devicefor performing a predetermined coping action when an abnormality isdetected in a monitored area; an outing motion detection sensor fordetecting actions of a non-monitored person when leaving the monitoredarea; and a non-monitored person detecting sensor for detecting thenon-monitored person in the monitored area, the control deviceincluding: mode switching means for switching between an alert mode withwhich the coping action is performed if the abnormality is detected inthe monitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action isnot performed, the mode switching means automatically switching to thealert mode when the outing motion detection sensor detects that thenon-monitored person has left the monitored area, the non-monitoredperson detecting sensor does not detect any other non-monitored person,and the non-alert mode has been set.
 10. (canceled)
 11. A securitysystem comprising: a control device for performing a predeterminedcoping action when an abnormality is detected in a monitored area; and aplurality of non-monitored person detecting sensors for detecting thenon-monitored person in the monitored area, the control deviceincluding: mode switching means for switching between an alert mode withwhich the coping action is performed if the abnormality is detected inthe monitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action isnot performed; a storage section for storing initial state data thatindicates initial states of the non-monitored person detecting sensorsin the alert mode; and initial state detection means for detecting amatching between detection states of the non-monitored person detectingsensors and the initial state data, the mode switching meansautomatically switching to the alert mode, when the detection states ofthe non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with the initialstate data, and the non-alert mode has been set.
 12. The security systemaccording to claim 11, further comprising: mode switching report meansfor causing a remote alarm device located at a remote place to presentmode change report information, when the mode switching meansautomatically switches to the alert mode.
 13. A control device being acomponent of the security system according to claim
 1. 14. A remotealarm device being a component of the security system according to anyone of claims claim
 1. 15. The remote alarm device according to claim 14being a portable telephone.
 16. The remote alarm device according toclaim 14 being integrated with a key for the exit of the monitor area.17. The remote alarm device according to claim 14 being integrated witha remote-key to a car.
 18. (canceled)
 19. A control method for asecurity system which can switch between an alert mode with which apredetermined coping action is performed if the abnormality is detectedin a monitored area and a non-alert mode with which the coping action isnot performed, the method comprising: an initial state detecting step ofdetecting a matching between detection states of a plurality ofnon-monitored person detecting sensors and initial states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors in the alert mode, thenon-monitored person detecting sensors each detecting a non-monitoredperson in the monitored area; and a mode switching reminder step ofcausing a remote alarm device located at a remote place to present modechange reminder information, when the detection states of thenon-monitored person detecting sensors are matched with the initialstates, and the non-alert mode has been set.
 20. (canceled)
 21. Acontrol method for a security system which can switch between an alertmode with which a predetermined coping action is performed if theabnormality is detected in a monitored area and a non-alert mode withwhich the coping action is not performed, the method comprising: aninitial state detecting step of detecting a matching between detectionstates of a plurality of non-monitored person detecting sensors andinitial states of the non-monitored person detecting sensors in thealert mode, the non-monitored person detecting sensors each detecting anon-monitored person in the monitored area; and an automatic switchingstep of automatically switching to the alert mode, when the detectionstates of the non-monitored person detecting sensors are matched withthe initial states, and the non-alert mode has been set.
 22. A controlprogram which operates the security system according to claim 1, forcausing a computer to function as each of the foregoing means.
 23. Acomputer-readable storage medium storing therein the control programaccording to claim 22.